7 Tips for Staying Safe in The Sun
As the largest organ in your body, your skin is essential to everyday function in many ways: It provides a barrier between your internal organs and the germs and bacteria of the environment, manages temperature and fluid control, and manufactures vitamin D to keep your bones strong. That said, far too many of us neglect proper skin care practices that keep it functioning at full capacity. As you spend more time outdoors this spring and into summer, protecting your skin becomes even more vital. According to the American Cancer Society, skin cancer is by far the most common type of cancer. With more than 3.5 million new diagnoses every year occurring in the U.S. alone, there are more new cases of skin cancer annually than every other type of cancer combined. While these statistics may seem bleak, there’s some good news as well: Skin cancer, in many cases, is largely preventable by simply adding a few minutes to your daily morning routine, or taking some precautions before spending a day in the sun. Keep in mind[...]
7 Stunning Outdoor Rooms Under $40,000
Whether it’s inside or out, there really is no big difference in how people use their space. They like to cook, eat, and relax with their favorite beverages possibly around or in front of a fireplace, watch and follow their favorite sports teams, and they like to entertain with friends and family. But instead of being surrounded by walls covered in tapestries or pictures, you’re looking at beautiful landscapes and extended views. Things just feel healthier and more relaxing when you’re outside enjoying the open air. As it grows in sophistication, outdoor living has become even more important to homeowners’ leisure lifestyle. In addition, outdoor living structures have become the highest returning home improvement investment you can make. Imagine creating a beautiful space to enjoy with friends and family while adding value to your home. Browse these beautiful custom DeckTec designs to get a sense of what we can do for you! This is a perfect example of an outdoor room that really does have it all! The partial roof covering offers protection from the elements,[...]
Heaven’s Kitchen: Bringing the Kitchen Outdoors
In many cases, the kitchen is your most-used room and likely the heart of your home. Many types of events involve food, and as people’s leisure living migrates outdoors, it’s only logical that the kitchen would move outdoors as well. Having not only a nice barbecue, but a nice barbecue area is becoming more appealing and in demand as an important element of the outdoor living environment. While the barbecue is still the key appliance needed for cooking your food, it doesn’t address all the aspects of meal preparation, serving, and outdoor enjoyment, especially when you’re entertaining, so outdoor kitchens are becoming more popular, and even necessary. Too often, the little wings on a grill fail to provide sufficient space for all the ingredients and utensils necessary to conveniently cook and serve a meal. The outdoor kitchen provides space for food prep, serving, side dishes, and condiments, which are often either left indoors or crowded onto the main table, preventing your friends and family from dining comfortably. Imagine if your kitchen had no counter space! It[...]
Featured Vendor: Marina Pool, Spa & Patio
In 1979, mother-daughter duo Peg and Margaret Mangieri founded Marina Pool, Spa & Patio and began selling pools and accessories from their garage. Since that time, they’ve expanded to offer a full range of patio and outdoor living fixtures such as luxury patio furniture, outdoor kitchen appliances, and fire features. For the last 22 years they’ve been operating from a low-overhead location in Lakewood, Colorado, that allows them to offer high-end, name-brand products at incredibly low prices to customers all over the Denver area. Stop by their showroom on Wadsworth and Jewell to see all the ways you can transform your backyard into your own personal paradise, and don’t forget to say that DeckTec sent you! Marina Pool, Spa & Patio is located at: 7777 West Jewell Avenue Lakewood, CO 80232
Why Does Beer Go So Well with BBQ?
It’s that time of year: Coloradans from Durango to Sterling are saying “good riddance” to the season’s last snows and heading outside to fire up their grills. No doubt we’ll be washing down all of that grilled goodness with a few of Colorado’s favorite craft-brewed beers. But why does beer go so well with barbecue? The truth is that beer is a great complement to all types of foods, but the caramelization of meats that happens on the grill is particularly suited to be complemented by the toasty, roasty, and smoky flavors of beer. In fact, the chemical process, known as the Maillard reaction, is the same when grilling meats and malting barley. Thus, combining the roasted flavors of meat and malt to enjoy on your deck is a no-brainer. Here are some combinations to consider when grilling this barbecue season: Hamburgers and American-Style Amber Ale The caramel notes of the beer complement the grilled beef, while the aggressive hops cut through the richness of fat, cheese, and condiments to refresh your palate. Grilled Seafood and[...]
Creating A Leisure Oasis
A deck or patio addition is immediately functional for barbecues, furnishings, and leisure as soon as it is complete; however, that doesn’t mean you’re finished. Outdoor living on low-level decks and patios should integrate you into the beauty of the gardens and landscape. Landscaping around your deck doesn’t need to be a huge process! You don’t need to do a lot of research before you take on this extensive project, but here’s a quick overview of the process to get you started. We suggest planning prior to arranging and planting, and consulting with a landscaping designer if necessary. Before you even get out your paper and pencil, Better Homes & Gardens suggests that you study the sun and wind patterns so you don’t accidentally kill that beautiful bush by planting it in the shade. They also suggest that you live with your space for a while before you create a draft of your plan. That way you can figure out traffic flow and solve unexpected problems, like how your kids tend to run exactly where you[...]
Spring Is in Bloom – Get Your Garden in Shape
Here at DeckTec, we work hard to design, create, and maintain beautiful custom outdoor living environments for you to enjoy with friends and family. Once your deck has been built, stained, and sealed, it’s up to you to turn it in to your ideal space. One of the most beautiful and environmentally friendly ways to perk up your outdoor room is to decorate with various flowers and plants. You’ll be surrounded by colorful blossoms and luscious greenery just in time for spring! Whether you’re interested in starting out with your first potted plant or have been tending a garden for years, use these tips and tricks to keep your deck as comfortable as possible and your plants looking great. One of the few downsides to springtime in Colorado is that once the weather inches above 70 degrees, mosquitoes come out to wreak havoc on anyone who forgets to light their citronella candles. While these pesky pests are most active between dusk and dawn, planting lemongrass in your garden or placing potted lemongrass around your deck naturally[...]
Inside Out: Defining The Outdoor Living Room
Here’s a little bit of a trick question for you: What’s the difference between an indoor and an outdoor living room? Answer: The walls! This may seem like an obvious answer, but there really is no big difference in what people do in their living spaces, whether they’re inside or out. They like to eat (barbecue), relax with their favorite beverages — possibly in front of or around a fireplace — and they like to entertain with friends and family. But instead of being surrounded by walls covered in tapestries or pictures, you’re looking at beautiful landscapes and extended views. Things just feel healthier and more relaxing when you’re outside enjoying the open air. Of course you can enjoy outdoor living on a nice deck or patio. However, to create a true outdoor living room you need to incorporate a deck or patio roof addition. Only then will you be able to add the lighting, heaters, and other amenities to really spend some quality time enjoying outdoor leisure activities in less-than-perfect weather conditions. Think playing cards[...]
7 Dazzling Decks Under $20,000
These days, $20,000 will not get you even the most modest of new cars. However, you can create a custom deck with all the bells and whistles starting well below the $20,000 benchmark. As it grows in sophistication, outdoor living has become even more important to homeowners’ leisure lifestyle. Imagine creating a beautiful space to enjoy with friends and family while adding value to your home. Browse these beautiful custom DeckTec designs for inspiration for your own decking project! This beautiful curved mahogany deck has custom redwood and cedar railing with metal pickets. Its large landing and partial shade coverage make it the perfect spot to host a dinner party with the extended family, while the side stairs provide easy access to the back yard. Here’s a bit of builder vocab: the word ‘cantilever’ describes any structure that is fixed at one end but not the other. This low level redwood and cedar deck features a cantilevered bench that adds comfortable built-in seating and makes the most of every inch of space. [...]
Freshen Up Your Spring Cleaning
Two Tips for an Even Cleaner Home It’s that time of year again — time for some spring cleaning! We have a couple of tips to ease your cleaning burdens, particularly for those things that often get forgotten in the rush. Here’s what you can do to have the freshest … Garbage Disposal This tends to be one of those appliances that gets forgotten until that smell starts to invade the kitchen. While specialized cleaning capsules are available, they aren’t something you typically keep around. What you probably do have is citrus: oranges, lemons, and limes. Toss citrus waste into the garbage disposal with a few ice cubes. Turn on the appliance for 20 to 30 seconds. Once the disposal sounds clear, run hot water for another 30 seconds to rinse. Done! Not only will your garbage disposal be nearly as clean as the day it was installed, your kitchen will smell citrusy-fresh! … Pillows No, we’re not talking pillow cases — this is a tip for the actual pillow. You may have washed your bed[...]
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